c enter for t echnology in t eaching and l earning csi web adventures using forensic games to...

CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING http://webadventures.rice.edu

CSI Web Adventures Using Forensic Games to Inspire Careers in Science

Yvonne Klisch & Lynn Lauterbach

Supported by a grant from the National

Science Foundation (NSF)

History of the Project


CSI: The Experience

Museum Exhibit


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CSI: The Experience

Web Component

NSF grant

Prior Outcomes: Learning & Satisfaction



Expectation: enhance the exhibit

Vehicle for deepening Science Learning• Forensic Science Content (declarative knowledge)• Forensic Techniques (procedural knowledge)• Problem-solving (scenario-based learning)

Vehicle for Science Career Inspiration

Audience: Reach Adolescents & Family


Challenges

COMMUNICATE: It’s not exactly like TVExample: forensic professionals are specialists NOT generalists

TV show cast Real-life forensic scientists


SCAFFOLD the conceptsExample: teach nuclear DNA before mitochondrial DNA

Challenges

AVOID teaching misconceptionsExample: it takes more than a minute to do DNA analysis

TARGET the right level of fidelity and authenticityExample: Is it really necessary for players to understand how DNA

sequencing works?


BALANCE the cognitive loadExample: game heuristics vs. science content

• More traditional learners become frustrated

• Game players become disinterested if it is too easy

Challenges


Development Process

EXPERTSEXPERTS

Launch Case

Launch Case

Test and Revise

Test and Revise

LEARNINGOBJECTIVES

DEVELOP REVIEW PRODUCE• Create Storyline• Produce PPT• Paper Prototyping

• Experts• End-users

• Graphics• Game Engine


Prototyping Research

Boys & Girls Club and Schools


http://forensics.rice.edu



Case One: Rookie Training



Case One: Learner Control



Medical Examiner

Case One: Rookie Training


Knowledge Checks


Cases Two and Three

Case Two (Intermediate Level) A dog handler is found dead at Las Vegas Dog show- accident or foul play?

Content (examples)• DNA analysis

• Indented writing

• Tool mark comparison

• Forensic odontology

Case Three (Advanced Level) A burned-out car is found in the desert – with a burned body inside. Who is it? Accident or murder?

• Facial reconstruction

• Hair comparison and analysis

• Fingerprint analysis

• Digital forensics

Cases Two and Three: Exploratory

Suspect #1

COLLECT MORE EVIDENCE AND QUESTION SUSPECTS

SOLVE THE CASE

DebriefingSuspect

#2Suspect

#3


CSI Office

GET TOOLS

Crime Scene

COLLECT EVIDENCE

CSI Lab

PROCESS EVIDENCE AND GET CLUES


Suspect #2

Suspect #3

CSI Office

GET TOOLS

Crime Scene

COLLECT EVIDENCE

CSI Lab

PROCESS EVIDENCE AND GET CLUES

Suspect #1

COLLECT MORE EVIDENCE AND QUESTION SUSPECTS

Debriefing

SOLVE THE CASE

Cases Two and Three: Exploratory


Tool Mark Comparison


Solving the Mystery


Web Logs

over 1,030,000 web visits since launch

over 603,000 unique visitors

average visits/day: over 1,400

average time spent on site: 5:22 minutes

45% direct traffic, 28% from referring

sites, 27% from search engines

visitors from 157 countries worldwide



Who Uses It?


Weekend dips suggest school use



CSI in science classes


This was an amazing homework project.

This is a fun and addicting game my teacher got me in to it.

I love this website! I’m so glad my biology teacher gave us this assignment! […] Thanks!

Comments from Students



CSI in science classes


Comments from Teachers

This has been a great tool to give students an interactive experience, which otherwise would be very expensive. […]. Very well done!

This is amazing! I am going to be teaching a 1-week forensics/CSI unit next week with my students. […] I am going to use this site as a great support to my unit.

I would like to see more cases to solve. I have been using this for my classes during our genetics unit.



Career Inspiration


I thought I might like to be a forensic scientist – and today I got to “be” one.

This is a great experience for kids who want to go into the medical field When I grow up I want to be a pediatrician, but if I didn’t become that then I would most likely be a medical examiner!

I totally want to become a forensic scientist after this.

I am thirteen years old and always wanted to be involved with forensics. This activity gave me the opportunity. Thank you.



There’s More…




Educators’ Guide




Online Activities




Cool Links


Field Test Results


Middle school (n=385) and high school (n=350) students (total=735)

Questions:

• Content & procedural knowledge (pre- and post-test)

• Satisfaction

• Usability

• Career motivation

• Role play

Classes were randomly assigned to ONE of the three cases


Field Test Results


Content knowledge increased between pre- and post-test

t-test: 10.70, Case 1; 7.67, Case 2; 17.03, Case 3; p < 01.N=207, Case 1; N=202, Case 2; N=326, Case 3.

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3

Pre-test

Post-test

Mea

ns


Field Test Results


Usability is highest in Case 1, but Cases 2 and 3 provide the stronger role play experience

Satisfaction Usability Role play

Case 1

Case 2

CareerMotivation

Case 3

Satisfaction: F = .014, p > .05; Usability: F = 39.22, p < .01;Career Motivation: F = 1.74, p > .05; Role play: F = 10.97, p < .01

Mea

ns


Field Test Results


Usability was the only predictor for post-test performance (controlling for pre-test performance)

Satisfaction and role-play experience were predictors for career inspiration


The Web Adventure Story

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